The view that unfolds when we crawl out of the tent in the morning is nothing short of spectacular. We have set up camp on top of a 2640 meter high pass with a view into Turkey and across into Georgia.
The air is fresh and a nice change from the 40 degrees down at the Black Sea, and we are in a good mood as we set off towards the Georgian border.
When we arrive, there are only 6 cars in front of us. The decision to take the mountain road paid off – not just in spectacular roads and scenery, but also as the quickest route into Georgia.
At the Turkish-Georgian border
The customs officers at the border are the most thorough so far! They go through our things and make us send our lumpy and mysterious bags through an x-ray machine like you see at the airport. Still, we are through the checkpoint in less than an hour and look forward to finding out more about this spectacular country.
The landscape looks pretty much like Turkey, but it still does feel different to be in Georgia. We press on towards Tbilisi to see if we can meet up with some other rallyers who are supposed to be at a hostel in the center of town. Traffic increases again and gets crazier as we approach the beautiful Georgian capital.
The old town in Tbilisi
After some wrong turns we finally manage to find the hostel, but after ringing the doorbell for half an hour we give up and go to find a place to get some lunch.
We decide to head out of Tbilisi and up into the mountains. There is a legendary road that we would like to see if we can get to it, even though it is supposed to be for four-wheel-drive cars only.
The Abano Pass in Georgia
Yaris Hilton certainly isn’t that, but we still want to try our luck and also get out of the city. Despite it being a really lovely place, it is almost 40 degrees here and we long for a bit of fresh mountain air.
It’s only a 100 km to the little town of Telavi where we arrive just as the sun is sinking below the horizon. After asking around, we find a lovely homestay where we get some Georgian tea, something to eat and a bed for the night. Tomorrow is shaping up to be interesting.
Today we clocked up exactly 500 km through Turkey and Georgia.
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